loservsLosesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: loser is a adjective, Loses is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“loser” is an adjective and “Loses” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,889
“loser” frequency rank
#49,058
“Loses” frequency rank
62947
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loser Loses
Definition Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs lose Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Los

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set loser and Loses apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
loser
5 ch
Loses

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: loser is [ˈloːzɐ] while Loses is [ˈloːzəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - r in “loser” becomes s in “Loses”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62947, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loser is recorded at frequency rank #13,889, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈloːzɐ]. Loses is at rank #49,058, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈloːzəs].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 62947, this pair ranks #694,354 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of loser vs Loses

Shared letters: elos. Private to "loser": r. Private to "Loses": -.

"loser" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Loses" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • loserlloser · loesr · loserr · losre · losser · lsoer · olser
  • Loseslloses · loess · losess · losses · lsoes · olses

Frequency comparison

loser#13,889
Loses#49,058

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "loser" and "Loses" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "loser" is an adjective and "Loses" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "loser" or "Loses"?
"loser" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,889 in our German list, against #49,058 for "Loses". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering loser vs Loses

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “loser”; for a noun, it's “Loses”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “loser” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list